| The Liverpool
Saturday Morning
Music Schools Woodwind and String Ensembles performing
on Saturday May 22nd. Click on a picture for a larger version. |
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| Saint Faith's Choir,
directed
by Gerard Callacher (the lightning conductor)
performing on Saturday June 26th. Click on a picture for a larger version. |
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The 2004 Summer Series
The 2004 Summer Saturday Concert series ran from April 17th to August 28th, 2004.
The idea of a series of concerts came during the long interregnum before the appointment of Fr Neil, as a means of involving people in the life of the church by opening it to visitors, members of the congregation and passers-by, and providing a platform for home-grown musicians to perform. In the first short season, our own and associated organists gave the recitals, but as the years passed, a wider and wider range of musicians, including vocal and instrumental recitalists as well as organists has been welcomed. The aim now is to provide an opportunity for a wide variety of talented performers to show their skills, with a special emphasis on young musicians.
As in previous years, St Faith’s was open from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm on recital Saturdays (because of other church events, there were a few blank Saturdays). The music started at 12 noon, and lasted for half an hour or more. Refreshments coffee, tea and light lunches) were on sale throughout, as was a range of such St Faith’s sales items as books, CDs and videotapes. Visitors were very welcome to look round (or indeed be shown round) church, and free guide booklets were available. The recitals themselves have always been free of charge, although there is a retiring collection to help defray the costs of the series.
The 2004 concerts were given by:
April 17 NEIL KELLEY (organ)
April 24 LIVERPOOL BRASS ENSEMBLE (dir. Louise Hough)
May 1 STEPHEN HARGREAVES (organ)
May 15 NEIL PRESTON (Classical guitar)
May 22 LIVERPOOL SENIOR STRING ENSEMBLE (dir.
Lydia
Langford)
and the LIVERPOOL SENIOR WOODWIND ENSEMBLE (dir. Oliver Kingsley)
May 29 STUDENTS’ PIANO RECITAL
June 5 IAN HARVEY (organ)
June 12 MICHAEL BROOM (baritone) and NEIL KELLEY (piano)
June 19 GERARD CALLACHER (piano)
June 26 SAINT FAITH’S CHURCH CHOIR (dir. Gerard Callacher)
July 17 NEIL KELLEY (organ)
July 24 IAN DUNNING (baritone)
July 31 GREGOR CUFF (‘cello)
August 7 PATRICIA BARROW (soprano), BRIAN WILLIAMS (baritone) and NEIL KELLEY (piano)
August 14 MICHAEL WYNNE (organ)
August 21 VAL WATTS (soprano) and ROGER STEPHENS (piano)
August 28 GERARD CALLACHER and NEIL KELLEY (piano)
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Farewell to Summer!
To mark the end of the season, Chris
Price wrote about the concerts in our parish magazine Newslink;
shortly after Mrs
Maureen Alderson,
a visitor from Formby, wrote to the Vicar expressing her appreciation
of
the concerts she had attended.
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Throughout the season from the Saturday after Easter day to the last Saturday in August, our Saturdays have been enlivened by the annual church opening and concert series.
It has been seven years now since this writer and a small band of helpers started the idea of opening the church, selling light refreshments and entertaining visitors with a free organ recital. After a short first season, subsequent years saw an expansion to the present 7-20 week schedule (depending on when Easter happens!) and an ever-increasing range of musical offerings.
This year, like every year, was the best ever! We listened to soloists (organ, woodwind, string, brass, and several vocal), duos, trios and bigger groups and the talent on display was marvellous. Our regular clientele, from our own congregations, other churches and assorted music-lovers from the area, has continued its steady growth. On more than one occasion this year there were over a hundred people in church, and there were rarely fewer than fifty or sixty. Before and after the music (from noon for half an hour or more) they could relax, wander round the church, take in the various displays and, of course, eat and drink.
As always, our thanks are due to all who performed so splendidly during the season; all who opened and closed the church and looked after visitors, the various catering teams (and Audrey Dawson i/c the catering rota), Gordon Slater for setting everything up on Friday nights, and of course Mike Broom, impresario, for arranging the concerts. There is always room for more people on the catering teams, and of course plenty of room for more people in the audiences. If you have yet to sample the Open Saturdays, why not drop in next summer?
These sessions are part of our mission to the community, and are first and foremost social and musical occasions, which is why they remain free for all and to all. But donations and refreshment sales (as well as sales of literature) also continue to make a useful profit to plough back into our resources, and for this, too, we are grateful.
Before we know where we are, it will be Christmas, then Lent, then Easter, and then…. See you all next season!
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39 Whitehouse Lane
Formby
August 29th, 2004
Dear Fr Neil,
I am putting pen to paper to say how much I have enjoyed the summer Saturday concerts at St Faith’s this year. I saw the series advertised in a local trade journal and managed to attend thirteen. I am impressed by all the hard work which must go in to arranging such a varied and interesting programme. A bonus was the warm and friendly welcome I received from your parishioners and particularly from the ladies who were in charge of the tasty refreshments, which I enjoyed every week.
I shall look forward to attending more musical events at St Faith’s. There is no need to reply to this, but please pass on my thanks to all concerned for a lovely summer of music.
With warmest good wishes to you all,
(Mrs) Maureen Alderson
P.S. St Faith’s is fortunate to have such a talented vicar on both
piano
and organ!